


The Shaman and the Aeronaut

by PoeDameronsJacket



Category: His Dark Materials (TV), His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Genre: Bets & Wagers, Boys Kissing, Daemons, Hand Jobs, I meant for it to be crack but it became sweet?, I ship them and you should too, In the hot air balloon, M/M, Poker, Short & Sweet, cute shit, how can you not write fic about any and all andrew scott characters?, off page sexytimes, romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:40:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28084068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoeDameronsJacket/pseuds/PoeDameronsJacket
Summary: "It was never my intention to get all wrapped up in a cosmic war like this. But here I am, after all. And if this is my last night on Earth, well, I’m glad it’s with you.”What do Lee Scoresby and John Parry get up to on their long hot air balloon ride to help Will and Lyra?Drink and play poker, of course. That is, until John runs out of things to bet on...
Relationships: John Parry/Lee Scoresby, Shamanaut
Comments: 11
Kudos: 105





	The Shaman and the Aeronaut

**Author's Note:**

> Never thought I'd be shipping Jopari and Lee Scoresby, but aging down Lee really did the trick ;) 
> 
> Andrew Scott would have chemistry with a pebble, so how can I not ship them?
> 
> Enjoy.

"Whoohooo!" Lee shouted into the night air as the balloon began to speed towards the fissure in the sky. Laughing, he threw himself down onto the bench, observing Mr. Jopari across from him.

“You really are something, you know that? I ain’t never thought to meet a shaman before, but I sure am grateful to have met you!”

John Parry reached his tattooed hands up, and lowered his hood, a smile spreading across his face as he regarded Lee.

“Tell me, Mr. Scoresby. How do you and Hester here usually pass the time on these long journeys? You’ll forgive me, but I’ve lived alone for so long, I hardly know how gentlemen spend an evening anymore.”

“Please, call me Lee.” He glanced at Hester, a sly expression on his face, “How ‘bout a round of poker, as played in the great country of Texas? You ever played Texas hold ‘em?”

“I can’t say that I have.”

“Well, then.” Lee pulled out a tattered deck of cards from one of his jacket’s many pockets. He explained the rules while he shuffled, unable to stop himself from showing off as the cards flew between his palms. 

As he lay the first card face up on the bench between the two men, he glanced up at John, eyebrows raised.

“Now, this is a bettin’ game, and I’m a bettin’ man. What do you got to lay on the table?”

Hester’s eyes were fixed on Sayan Kötör as Lee spoke, and the osprey’s feathers bristled lightly. John sensed the challenge in Lee’s voice. He hadn’t chosen this game for nothing. It was a test.

John pulled out a crumpled bird’s feather from his coat pocket.

“This can be used only once, but it will bestow you with speed when you are most in need of it.”

Lee let out a low whistle. “That’s quite the bet.”

He dropped his mother’s ring next to the feather, the ring of silver and precious stone that had just been returned to him by the shaman.

“Let’s play.”

***

An hour and a half later, John and Lee were halfway through a bottle of whiskey that Lee kept in store for emergencies, and John was down a magic feather, ten gold coins, a turquoise necklace, and a battered copy of _The Left Hand of Darkness_ that he’d had on him the day he’d left his world.

It was the most relaxed John had felt in years. He knew consciously that he was in the most danger he’d ever been in – actively seeking out the Bearer of the Knife in the hopes of supporting Asriel’s Great War against the Authority himself, traveling into yet another new world via hot air balloon, and, through it all, carrying the endless ache of missing his son.

And yet, up there in the deep blue sky, surrounded by infinite stars, the Northern Lights just beginning to make an appearance and a leather-clad Texan regaling him with stories of armoured bears and daring escapes, he felt at peace.

Hester leaned her head again Sayan Kötör, following the bird’s gaze up to the stars.

“It really is something, huh?” the hare said.

“I see why you two like it up here so much. John and I, we feel like we could spend forever in this balloon, and never come down.”

Sayan Kötör could feel Hester’s warm body pressed against her wing as they watched the green lights dance in the sky.

“I wish we could.” Hester muttered.

Suddenly, Lee slapped his knee, shouting into the night, “and that’s a royal flush right there, my friend!”

John chuckled as he watched the louder man preen, admiring his endless enthusiasm, as if he hadn’t won the last five rounds.

“I’m afraid I have nothing else on my person that I can give you for your win. You’ve cleaned me out.”

“Well, then. You’ll have to take a shot, I suppose!” Lee reached forward to grab John’s glass, but John lay his hand on the Texan’s wrist, stopping him before he could get to the glass.

Looking up at Lee, John spoke quietly and clearly into the cold air, “There is another way I can repay you.” He bit his lip absently, eyes boring into Lee’s.

“I –” The Texan stuttered, before breaking out a confused smile. “…Mr. Jopari?”

John took that as a cue, and leaned forward to kiss Lee, gently and softly on the lips. Sayan Kötör felt Hester stiffen by her side, and mentally urged John to stop. He pulled back quickly, but before he could retreat, the aeronaut had reached forward to capture John’s lips again, opening his mouth as he moved against the shaman. 

John smiled into the kiss, heart soaring with the joy of being airborne, of the beauty surrounding them – and of the heat of Lee’s body as he pulled John in closer, pressing their chests together, fingers entwining in John’s long hair.

Sayan Kötör was flying in the air, looping around the balloon and cawing, making Hester laugh at the swaggering display.

John felt he could stay wrapped in Lee’s arms forever, tongue pressing into his mouth, tasting every bit of him, but he’d lost a bet, and he was an honourable man who paid up.

He began gently kissing across Lee’s face, licking lightly at his stubble before moving down to bite at his neck for a moment, making the Texan moan quietly.

John wanted to get the man naked, but he knew they’d both freeze to death if they went that route. Instead, he pushed Lee’s thighs apart, kneeling down between them, and began to unlace his leather trousers, watching Lee’s face through his eyelashes.

Lee's breath caught when Jopari reached into his pants.

“I’ve…I’ve never – you don’t have to do this,” he said, breath hitching as John hands closed around him.

John responded with an eye roll. “I doubt you could ever make me do something I didn’t want to, Mr. Scoresby.”

Lee was breathing heavily with pleasure now. 

“Where…where did a shaman learn to do something like this?” 

John looked up at him, mischief in his eyes. “You’d be surprised what you can learn when you venture across worlds.”

***

When he was done, John stood up, and leaned over Lee in order to grab the whiskey and their shot glasses. He pulled out the cork, poured two shots, and handed one over to Lee with a smile.

“To tonight!” he said, before throwing it back.

Lee smiled at him incredulously, and tipped back his own shot, the whiskey’s heat adding to the feeling of euphoria seeping into his bones.

“Hey, now,” Lee said, putting down his shot glass and reaching for John Parry’s waist where he stood in front of him, pulling him in. “How ‘bout you?”

John leaned down and kissed Lee. “Not this time, love”.

“Well then. If you say so.” Lee cleared his throat, looking for a transition. “Might as well get some sleep before we face whatever’s through that hole in the sky, I suppose.”

Lee got up, trying to act as matter-of-fact as he could, while his heart still raced from the night's events.

He pulled out a pile of furs from storage and lay them across the floor of the balloon. He threw himself down, trying not to let his Texan swagger slip, but not knowing what to do next.

Luckily, John, who didn’t seem phased a bit, knew exactly what Lee wanted. He lay himself down by his side, covering them both with a thick fur blanket. They lay there together quietly, sides pressed together, watching the light show as it played out above their heads. Somewhere, Hester and Sayan Kötör were whispering softly to each other.

After a while, Lee turned to watch John. He could see a reflection of the aurora borealis in John’s peaceful eyes. He studied every detail of the shaman’s face, noting the scar on his forehead shaped like a cigar burn, his sharp widow’s peak, his strong cheekbones. After a moment, John turned to look back at him, and smiled.

“I’m glad you found me, Mr. Scoresby.”

“Mr. Jopari.” Lee sat up on his elbow. “I don’t know what’s beyond Asriel’s tear in the sky. I don’t know what dangers lie ahead for us. It was never my intention to get all wrapped up in a cosmic war like this. But here I am, after all. And if this is my last night on Earth, well, I’m glad it’s with you.”

With that, Lee Scoresby leaned down and kissed John Parry.

And so, the shaman and the aeronaut, bonded in their love for Will and Lyra, sailed across the glistening sky towards a new world. 

**Author's Note:**

> Well, didn't think i'd be writing sexual lin manuel-miranda in my lifetime. but here we are xD 
> 
> Comments and kudos always deeply appreciated! <3 Let me know what you think of this ship!


End file.
